Puppet-valve for automatically-operated musical instruments.



No. 677,059. yPacnfed lune 25 T. P. BROWN.

PUPPET VALVE FOR AUTOMATICALLY UPERATED MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

(Application led Nov. 24, 1900.)

(No Model.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT OEEI-CE.

THEODORE PARKER BROWN, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

PUPPET-VALVE FOR'AUTOMATICALLY-OPERATED MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 677,059, dated June 25, 1901.

Application filed November 24, 1900. Serial No. 37.608. (No model.)

T0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THEODORE PARKER BROWN, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at No. 9 May street, in the city of Worcester, county of Worcester, State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Puppet-Valves for Automatically-Operated Musical Instruments, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in pneumaticallyoperated musical instruments, and more particularly to a new and improved puppetvalve, especially adapted for use in connection with pneumatically-operated muvsical'instruments of the self-playing type; but I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself specifically to such instruments, as the same may be employed with equal facility and effectiveness in connection with other styles of ipneumatically-op'erated instruments.

The invention has for its prime object to provide an extremely simple, cheap, and durable Vdouble-seating puppet-valve of the class described, having improved iiexible attaching means arranged in such manner as to admit of a perfectly free and unrestricted up-and-down movement or amove-y ment in a true vertical direction of the valve to and from the valve seat or seats, wherein a perfect seating is insured atall times.

The invention comprises the novel features of construction and arrangements of parts hereinafter described land then more detinitely pointed out in the claims.

.In the annexed drawings, illustrating the invention,Figure 1 is a sectional view of a portion of a well-known type of pneumatic musicalinstrument,showing one form of myimproved valve applied thereto. Fig.2 is an end sectional view taken on the line a: a: of Fig. 1. Figs.3 and 4 are respectivelya sectional and a plan View ofthe valve shown in Figs. l and 2. Figs.5 and 6 are detail views of slightly-modiied forms of valves constructed according to my invention.

The reference-numeral 1 designates the longitudinally disposed wind trunk, from which the air is exhausted in the usual manner, and 2 the valve-chamber, superimposed upon the trunk and having communication therewith by means of the port 3. The said valve-chamber communicates through a port 5 with a power-pneumatic 6, which latter has connected to the movable member thereof a rod 7, that controls the music pipes, reeds, or other sound-producing devices. In the top of the valve-chamber 2, immediately above the port 3, is an air-inlet 4, opening to the outer atmosphere. Arranged below the windtrunk l is a diaphragm-chamber 8, which communicates with a lateral port 9, leading to a duct 10 of the tracker ll, over which the'v music-sheet 12 travels in the Well-known manner. The said chamber 8 is closed by means of a flexible diaphragm 13, constituting the primary pneumatic and having a centrallyarranged disk 14 attached thereto. Leading fromthe diaphragm-chamber 8 to the windtrunk 1 is a small channel or opening 15 to control the operation of exhausting the air from the said trunk during the movement of the perforated music-sheet over the tracker.

Arranged within the valve-chamber 2 and disposed so as to alternately open and close the ports 3 and 4 is my improved puppetvalve, which will now be described. As shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4, the valve comprises a disk or button 16,01? Wood, leather, or other light material, faced upon opposite sides with some suitable soft seating material, such as leather, one of said seatings being provided with a flexible extension-Hap 17, which constitutes `the means by which the valve is supported or held in position, said flap being secured along its extreme edge, as at 18, by means of a narrow strip of glue 19, tacks, or otherwise. It will be understood that the flap is secured only at its rear end and that the valve is thus free to move up and down to alternately open and close the ports 3 and 4 and make a perfectly close seatat all times, which is an important consideration in this type of instruments. Secured to the valve block or button and depending centrally therefrom is a rod 20, having adjustably tted to thelower end thereof, by means of a threaded connection, a head 2l, which seats upon the disk 14, attached to the diaphragm 13 in such manner that when the latter isbulged upward the said rod will be IOC able seating material.

raised to force the upper face of the valve against the seat of the port 4 to close the latter and open the port 3.

In the modified form of valve illustrated in Fig. 5 I have shown the same as comprising two disks 22 22', secured to opposite sides ofa narrow flexible strip or flap 23, said disks being each faced with leather or other suit-` The strip is secured at its rear end only to a block 24, whereby it `is raised so as to lie substantially centrally of the upper and lower walls of the valvechamber.

The form of valve shown in Fig. 6 is substantially the same as that shown in Fig. 1, except that the flexible strip or iiap 25is attached to the upper Wall of the valve-chamber and the disk or button 26 is attached to the under side of the strip or flap.

In the constructions herein shown and described it will be seen that the puppctsvalve is secured to or mounted upon a flexible strip, which latter is attached at its rear end only by a narrow strip of glue or other suitable means, and is not otherwise fastened or con-Y ned, thus giving it a perfectly free and unrestricted movement up or down to open or close the ports ywith nothing to cause it to stick and prevent it from coming to a perfect seat at all times. Furthermore, by mounting the valve upon a strip, as described, it can be easily and quickly secured in place and the construction enables it to be manufactured at a low cost. l

The method of operation is the same as in allinstruments of this class. The Wind-trunk 1 beingunder suction, (or force, if the opposite mechanism is employed,) whenan opening or perforation appears in the music-sheet l2 over the duct 10 in the ti'ackerll the inrush of air, acting upon the under side of the diaphragm 13, lifts it against the head 21 on the end of the rod 20, thus raising the latter and with it the valve l16, lifting it from its seat over the port 3 to open the latter and Vclosing the port 4, allowing the power-pneumatic 6 'to collapse under the influence of the suction (or force) of airin the wind-trunk and causing the rod 7 to operate the speaking device of the musical instrument.

It will be observed that the attached or fixed end of the flap which flexibly holds the valve in place is relatively remote from the valve, and this constitutes an important feature of my invention, for if the edge hf the valve were in close proximity to the attached or fixed end of the flap then the latter would operate merely as an ordinary hinge and the valve would not seat accurately and closely to its seats unless one or both faces of the valve were beveled or inclined or unless one or, both of the valve-seats were similarly beveled or inclined. By fixing or attaching the iiexible flap, however, at a point relatively remote from the valve said flap formsa loose flexible connection which will permit the valve to move in a true vertical direction inber having oppositeIy-disposed ports, of a` valve having two opposite faces disposed within said chamber and adapted to alternately open and close said ports, anda flexible strip lfixed atone end to a stationary support and attached at its other end to the valve, the

strip being fixed to its support at a point relatively remote from the valve whereby a relatively longA and unconincd portion of said.

exible strip intervenes between its attached end and the valve and thus permits the valve l to move in a true right line, substantially as A described.

2. In a pneumatically-operated musical instrument, the combination with avalve-chainber having oppositely-disposed ports, of a valve having two opposite parallel faces dis `posed within said chamber and arranged `to alternately open and close said ports, and a iiexible strip fixed atu one end to a stationary support and attached at its other end to the valve, the strip being fixed to its support at a point relatively remote Y from the valve wherebya relatively long and unconfnedpor-v tion of said flexible strip intervenes between its attached end and the valve and thus permits the valve to move in a true right line,

substantially as described.

3. In a pneumatically-operated musical instru ment, the combination with a valve-cham ber having oppositely disposed ports, of a IOO valve having two opposite faces vdis posed withv in said chamber and arranged to alternately open and close said ports, and a iiexible strip xed at one end to a stationary support arlranged in a plane intermediate the plane of said ports and at its other end attached to the valve intermedia-te the opposite faces of the latter, substantially as described. n

4. In a pneumatically-operated musical instrument, the combination with a valvescharn-V ber having oppositelydisposed ports, of a valve having two opposite faces disposed within said chamber and arrangedto alternately open and close said ports, and a iiexible strip fixed at one end to a stationary support and at its other end to the valve, said valve comprising two disks attached to the opposite, 'sides of thefree end of the strip at a point relatively removed from the fixed end of the strip, substantially as described and for the purpose specified.

Signed by me at Worcester, Massachusetts, this 20th day of November, 1900. l

THEODORE PARKER BROWN.-

Witnesses:

JAMES EARLY, JAS. M. DRENNAN.

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